The Empire's Twilight Official Timeline
This is the official timeline of events within "The Empire's Twilight". This is an ongoing process as the story continues to develop. World War II 1942 - Japanese troops are narrowly defeated by British and Commonwealth troops at Singapore. The cost in life is heavy but it marks a turning point in the Pacific War. 1945 - With victory over the Axis powers the new United Nations begins its process of decolonization threatening the existence of the British Commonwealth. Many nations within the Commonwealth either become partially independent or fully independent like India. Yet the Commonwealth remains in a diminshed capacity. Immediate Post War Era (1945-1955) 1947 -Treaty of Paris; Finland endures reparations for allying with Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. 1949 -Denmark refuses to join NATO 1953 -Denmark, Sweden and Norway found the SDA (Scandanavian Defense Alliance). Finland is offered a place within the organization but refuses to join. Founding of the New Commonwealth (1955-1962) 1955 - At a meeting held in Auckland, New Zealand in 1955 the first blueprint for what would be a new Commonwealth was put forward. It was entitled "The Empire of Equals." 1956 -Urho Kekkonen is first elected president of Finland. He will rule the country with an increasingly autocratic fist until his death in 1982. 1958 -The Soviet Union forces Finland to change the composition of their coalition cabinet after the SKDL(Finnish People's Democratic League) was excluded during it's formation after elections, adding the term "Finlandization" into the lexicon of Cold War international relations. Breakdown of Commonwealth/US relations (1963-1980) 1965 - '''A Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF) CF100 Canuck operating as part of Operation; Nightstalker shoots down an An-2 transport plane supporting Rhodesian rebels. '''1967 -Finland joins the Warsaw Pact, starting a vast rearmament of the Finnish armed forces with Soviet-supplied weapons & equipment (It also marks the start of a Cold War pitting pro-Soviet Finland versus pro-New Commonwealth & SDA member Sweden) 1972 - Queen Margrethe II ascends to the Danish throne (reigns 1972-1991) 1973 '''- The Irish People's Party come to power in the Republic of Ireland. This gives rise to the short lived People's Republic of Ireland. '''1973 - Discrimination against people of Swedish ethnicity in Finland forces thousands to flee to Sweden. The main Finnish party representing the interests of the Swedish minority in Finland, the Swedish People's Party, is banned and ordered to be shut down. 1975 - 'The Third Cod War breaks out in the North Sea between Iceland and the UK. '''1977 - '''The Irish People's Party is overthrown in a popular uprising causing the People's Republic of Ireland to cease to exist. '''1979 ' - The Mexican Civil War breaks out with Communist forces rising up against the government. The US supports the exican government but doesn't get directly involved. The Fall of Democracy in the United States of America (1980-1990) '1982 - 'The Falklands War breaks out in the South Atlantic. For the first time the entire armed forces of the New Commonwealth are committed to a single cause. While the Islands are eventually retaken the fighting spills over into neighbouring Chile. '''1982 -Mauno Koivisto becomes president of Finland after Kekkonen suffers a fatal heart attack while working in his presidential office. 1983 - With Commonwealth forces entering Argentina, Argentine General Leopold Galtieri is overthrown in an uprising. Commonwealth forces soon withdraw back to Chile and the war is officially declared as over. 1983 - A US Navy P-3C Orion is shot down over the Gulf of Mexico by Mexican Communist forces. 1983 - Disapproving of president Koivisto's anti-Soviet stance, the Soviets send troops to intervene while the SKDL launches a coup to seize power (the Democratic Republic of Finland is formed with the SKDL ruling in a single-party regime). 1986 - '''Red China invades Taiwan sparking the Taiwan Straits War. Despite protests from the United States and theCommonwealth neither get involved and Taiwan falls in just a few weeks. '''1988, April - After careful planning a group of high ranking US Military leaders known only as 'The Generals' instigate a coup that successfully topples the United States government. Much of the civilian population oppose the new dictatorship and acts of civil disobedience are commonplace but these are cracked down harshly. 1988, June - '''The McPherson family are killed by US National Guardsmen at a military checkpoint between South Dakota and Nebraska. The incident sparks retaliation. The incident proves a rally cry for many people in the United States and the first elements of what was to become the Army of American Liberation (AAL) who would fight the Generals until the very fall of the United States. '''1989 - '''The Generals in power within the United States establish the Federal Protection Service (FPS) to counter the increasingly active Army of American Liberation (AAL). The '91 Disaster (1991) '''March 25th -Denmark deploys troops to reinforce allies in Hanover. March 25th - Finnish troops illegally move into the internationally-recognized, demilitarized Aland islands causing ethnic cleansing of ehtnic Swedes residing there. 'The '91 War' March 31st - '''The United States of America invade the Commonwealth nation of Canada sparking what would lead to the '91 Disaster. '''April 1st - Unable to stand by & watch the ethnic cleansing going on, Swedish army & naval units intervene in the Aland islands clashing with Finnish army unit. April 3rd -'''Danish troops(along with British, Swedish & Queen's German Legion) fight Warsaw Pact & American forces on the German front. '''April 3rd - Finnish & Soviet tanks begin their invasion of northern Sweden & Norway, with them decisively stopped & pushed back after the battle of Lulea on April 6th. April 3rd -Denmark loses communications with all settlements in Greenland & the Faroe Islands. April 3rd - An unknown US Army officer independantly launches a nuclear missile at a British and Canadian Army column in Central Canada. April 4th(9:47 a.m.) -most of the Danish government is destroyed when a nuclear bomb destroys Copenhagen. April 5th - 'The US begin their withdrawal back across the border but fighting the world over goes on for many months and in some cases even years although no more nuclear weapons are launched. 'The Aftermath April 8th -the survivng members of the Danish royal family are massacred as a pro-American military junta overthrows what was left of the Danish government, beginning a two-year civil war between pro-American right-wing military forces & pro-New Commonwealth moderate police & paramilitary units Dark Empire (1992-Present Day) '1993 - June -'''British & Swedish forces intervene to overthrow the military junta & end the civil war, establishing a interim non-partisan government 1997 -a referendum is held, with the new British monarch becoming Denmark's head of state with Denmark becoming a new part of the remainants of the New Commonwealth '''1998 '-the first parliamentary election since the 1991 disaster is held in Denmark with a national unity coalition formed with the Social Democrats, Conservatives & the Liberal Union(a new party formed after the war by a merger of the Social Liberal & Venstre parties). The coalition lasts until 2005, when fresh elections chosen the Social Democrats to form the current government. Category:Essay Category:History